David O'Brien to Present "Building Emotional Intelligence in Leaders" Workshop

As part of David's ongoing partnership with the CT Association of Nonprofits, Center for Professional Development, he will be delivering his very popular

Building Emotional Intelligence in Leaders workshop on Thursday, March 13, 2014 at CT Nonprofit's new office in Hartford, CT. In this highly interactive, 3-hour workshop, participants are provided with the opportunity to evaluate their current level of EI competence while also exploring a wide range of techniques for increasing their leadership influence and impact. The 9:00 a.m. to 12:00 p.m. workshop is open to the public but registration is required. For more information or to register for this workshop, please visit CT Nonprofits online by clicking here.

David will be the featured speaker at the Human Resource Association of Central Connecticut's monthly dinner meeting on March 18, 2014. His presentation titled,

Driving Employee Engagement; A Leader's Guide to Maximizing Employee Capacity examines current research and best practice strategies for increasing employee engagement. The program also provides participants with the opportunity to objectively assess the current state of their organizations' engagement pulse. This program has been approved by HRCI for 1.25 strategic business recertification credits. To learn more, please visit the HRACC website by clicking here.

The Navigator's Handbook Reaches Significant Milestone

The Second Edition of

The Navigator's Handbook, 101 Leadership Lessons for Work & Life had its official nationwide release January 6th. Based on lessons from a distinguished 20-year leadership career, the book is a collection of observations and personal experiences that explore the common denominators of truly great leaders. The Navigator's Handbook is an action-oriented and practical guide which presents proven processes and methodologies for maximizing leadership and team capacity. To order the book, please click here.

With the 2014 Winter Olympics currently taking front and center on the world stage, I couldn't resist the urge to once again explore the link between Olympic athletes and leadership. Not surprisingly, the parallels are many. My quick, short list includes; Motivation, Passion, Commitment, Perseverance, Resilience, Sacrifice, and Determination. What other parallels can you uncover? Even more importantly, what links can you demonstrate in your role as a leader today and after the Olympics?

While most of us may never win an Olympic Gold Medal, each of us is presented with countless opportunities every day to demonstrate many qualities of Olympic athletes in our role as leaders. Let us all commit to go for the gold in our own small way.

Choose to Navigate,

David O'Brien

Deliberate Leadership In a Distracted World

Although I have been fortunate to discover many leadership truths over the last 25 years, one truth continues to have the most far reaching benefit in my life. To be sure, there are numerous leadership lessons that have served me well, but all of them combined don't equal the cumulative power of believing that there is no off switch on leadership. The truth is that every one of us can demonstrate leadership in every role we play, not just at work but everywhere, every day.

While most leaders would be quick to acknowledge the opportunity this truth presents, most would also agree that it's a challenge to seize the opportunity at every juncture. Despite the fact that real leadership is so desperately needed in all corners of our society today, the multitude of distractions we face often prevent us from not only seeing the opportunity but seizing it too.

The National Science Foundation and other prestigious research organizations have confirmed that on average, our brains produce anywhere from ...

Building Emotional Intelligence In Leaders:

A Leader's Guide to Increasing Influence and Impact

EI, also known as Emotional Intelligence describes our ability to perceive, assess and manage our emotions and interpersonal interactions in order to maximize our influence and impact. In this highly interactive workshop, participants are provided with the opportunity to evaluate their current level of EI competence while also exploring a wide range of methods for increasing their capacity to lead and influence in all of their relationships both in and out of the workplace. The program includes all materials and assessments including the EI Insights Inventory and Development Roadmap. Optional EI assessments include EI Appraisal or EI Style Profile..

The face of hiring is changing in light of the global economic crisis. Harvard management professor Bill George weighs in on how a company should approach measuring emotional intelligence both as a hiring practice and as a broader business practice. In this 3 minute interview he reminds us of the critical role EQ plays in nearly every aspect of leadership. To watch the video, please click here.

Link # Two: "Yoga, Mindfulness and Leadership" - Mark Bertolini

Aetna CEO, Mark Bertolini discusses the critical role that mindfulness plays in achieving a higher level of leadership impact. In addition to offering many important reminders to leaders at all levels, this 6 ½ minute video provides an actionable framework for expanding leadership influence. To watch the video, please click here.

Link # Three: WorkChoice Solutions Learning Resources

In continuing our commitment to leadership development, we have added new content to the Learning Resources link on the WorkChoice Solutions web site. Within the link, you will find a wide range of complimentary leadership assessments, media interviews, PowerPoint slides and a variety of leadership articles. Please click here to connect to Learning Resources.

Leadership Thought To Consider

""The deepest hunger in humans is the desire to be appreciated." - William James

Leadership Suggestion: Consider what this quote means in your world of work and in your role as a leader. Also try to uncover the leadership opportunity that it presents.

Three Questions Worth Considering:

Do you need a high impact / high content speaker for your next off-site event or conference?

Is there a high potential employee on your team that struggles with public speaking?

Could other people in your organization improve their public speaking effectiveness?

If you answered yes to any of these questions, please click here to learn more about Speaker Solutions.